Wonder Woman: Feminist

Films are used to mirror society to influence the behavior of the people to show a fantasy. In today’s film society there has always been a male hero who is fighting to uphold justice such as Batman or Iron Man. This trend is changing because there is now a widely known heroine, Wonder Woman. The writers created her from feminists ideals and concepts because she has the strength of a woman as she represents and embodies feminism (Albertson, 67). The Wonder Woman story has changed over the years, but her feminism views are still evident. A feminist is a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes (Merriam-Webster). Diana, Wonder Woman depicts the characteristics and actions of a true feminist throughout the 2017 film.

Wonder Woman does not shrink herself in a world dominated by men, but she demonstrates true empowerment of feminism through a journey of self discovery, feminine support, and how women can transform the oppressive power of patriarchy into the power of self-awareness. Every girl has ambition of finding out who they really are through a path because we all are beautiful inside and out. What makes Diana so special is that her genetic makeup is half Greek God, Zeus and an amazon super creature. She has never met her father, but is raised in an all female paradise where they train to be warriors. This group is well diverse where they are constantly training for battle, but specifically Ares. The society she grew up in taught her that she can do anything if she puts her mind to it. As the film progresses we learn that it is her duty to challenge Ares. She continues her self discovery and trains to be physically prepared and guided to find the emotional, mental and spiritual strength within herself. One writer Stanley says, “A female warrior is contradictory concept for a patriarchal culture. ” In her self-discovery she becomesmore than a warrior, she becomes an image of divine feminine.

For many women this is different for us, but this film shows us that we can find the potential power within us. This reveals how we can know ourselves as beautiful reflections of divine love. Where we become our true ideal self through a path of self discovery. In life, we all need someone we can look up tp for guidance. Being raised in an all female society, Diana is provided with strong female role models such as her aunt and her mom. Her aunt is her main mentor throughout the movie because she helps her determine how powerful and strong she really is. Her aunt tells her in training battle that “she is stronger than she believes,” and then goes on to say “she is stronger than this. ” Then Diana puts her forearms together and discovers some of her power. The amazons do not tell her that she is a goddess because of her gift, but that she is more than she knows herself to be. The movie provides examples of how Diana is growing stronger through her dynamic mentors which shows us that we can have the same in our lives. When women come together we encourage and uplift each other where amazing things can happen. Diana declares that, “An Amazon looks for ways to empower her sisters … because their strength is hers. ” (Carpenter)Towards the end of the movie where Diana has a tremendous battle with the Greek God Ares. This twist in the movie is fascinating because she grabs the light that was meant to harm her and takes this destructive force and uses it to shine.

The patriarchal power from Ares would have been destructive if you allow it to take over you. ”Wonder Woman makes what gender scholar Deniz Kandiyoti calls a ‘patriarchal bargain. ’ Where feminism, in its many forms, has sought to disrupt patriarchy ” (Albertson, 68). Like Diana, we can use this energy with love to change it from destroying us to something that motivates and emboldens us. Love is the answer to creating a more compassionate world. A world in which we understand that each of us has our own spark where we are all powerful. These truths are beautiful and women do not need to be held back by cultural restrictions and rules. Woman are capable of acting with great authority and conviction. It is our choice to choose love and claim our own voices. In the movie “they also reflect both a patriarchal society’s need to redefine those ideals according to cultural and economic circumstance,” (Stanley).

Throughout the movie we have seen and analyzed that Wonder Woman is a true feminist that promotes “girl power”. She does this by discovering who she is, assistance from women in her life and transforming the control of patriarchy into the control of true self awareness. She breaks the barrier in DC films with more diversity and drawing more woman to view the film. There are societal expectations about how women are supposed to behave in the present day. Since she grew up on a secluded island among women, Wonder Woman doesn’t know what those expectations are and doesn’t care to learn them. She also won’t apologize for being woman. Diana’s power isn’t diminished by caring too much or experiencing her emotions. Instead, her love and kindness strengthens her where her femininity is praised.

Works Cited

1. Albertson, A. (2018). The Evolution of Wonder Woman: Feminist Icon of Pop Culture. McFarland.
2. Carpenter, K. (2017). Wonder Woman: Bondage and Feminism in the Marston/Peter Comics, 1941-1948. Rutgers University Press.
3. Kandiyoti, D. (1988). Bargaining with Patriarchy. Gender & Society, 2(3), 274-290.
4. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Feminism. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved [date], from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feminism
5. Stanley, A. (2017). Review: ‘Wonder Woman’ Is a Blockbuster That Lets Itself Have Fun. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/movies/wonder-woman-review-gal-gadot.html